Green File

In this episode Ben chats with Lee Anne Downey of Stonewell Farm (https://www.stonewellfarm.ca/), a lavender growing operation outside Erin, Ontario. Lee Anne is also former President of the Ontario Lavender Association and a current Master Gardener, and she joins Ben to talk about this unique plant the various opportunities it presents for the Canadian gardener. 

Shane Jones is a professor or horticulture, food, and farming at Durham College and the new The Barrett Centre of Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture. Shane is helping to oversee the Barrett Centre's mission: Enhance the existing urban farm at the Durham College Whitby campus.Become a source for information, support and coaching for traditionally underserved and marginalized communities when it comes to urban agriculture initiatives including food security. Create a comprehensive and connected array of educational programs and materials in urban agriculture will be to meet growing employment needs.Create dozens of new opportunities in the years ahead for students to gain experience working on urban farms and in roles supporting the operations.Become home to a team of highly respected experts working to establish it as an internationally recognized hub of knowledge around sustainable urban agriculture. 

This week we talking with Helen Battersby: writer, gardener, garden speaker, TorontoGardens.com blogger, Gardener's Journal co-publisher, and a power-walker – though not always in that order! Helen is also a committed volunteer – for more than 18 years with the Toronto Master Gardeners, and as the Director of the international region for GardenComm, Garden Communicators InternationalYou can find Helen at https://www.torontogardens.com/

Returning guest Lorraine Johnson returns to talk with Ben about her new book A Garden for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators, co-authored with Sheila Colla. We talk about species at risk, and the unique relationship between pollinators we depend on and the plants they depend on in turn. https://lorrainejohnson.ca/https://douglas-mcintyre.com/products/9781771623230

Annabel is a lifelong educator, publisher, and environmentalist who is a Founding Chair of ClearWater Farm- the flagship project for Ontario Water Centre and a home for place based learning, educational farming, water conservation, regenerative agriculture, and economic development. Learn more by listening to our conversation and at https://clearwaterfarm.ca/

As Ben and Mark tackle two new gardens, looking to the season ahead.

This week Ben and Mark are celebrating 2022 - Year of the Garden! https://livethegardenlife.gardenscanada.ca/

This week we are chatting Dave Harvey, Executive Director of Park People, a non-profit supporting and mobilizing community park groups, community organizers, non-profits, park professionals and funders who activate the power of parks. Through Canada-wide and city-specific programs and events, funding, resources, research and professional services we help realize the power of parks to build strong communities, healthy environments, and resilient cities.

This is a must listen for anybody dealing with difficult soils: Mark's journey establishing a new garden in the "claybelt" of Markham, ON

This week Producer Lukas is on vacation so we're going straight to air!! Ben and Mark sit down to discuss Cullen's Foods - Ben's venture of more local, more organic, and more transparent foods! Learn more at www.cullensfoods.com

Norm is a cum laude graduate of Ohio State University, and a graduate of the University of Windsor. He has spent his years since graduating teaching, growing cut flowers, and most recently, growing organic greenhouse vegetables. He is the Director of Research and Development for Erieview Acres and likes to pontificate about the benefits of organics – which is why he's here today!

This week we are chatting with Glenn Munroe, Special Projects Manager at the Compost Council of Canada. Glenn has a background in environmental science and government policy, which has led him to the Council where he recently co-authored the report “Roadmap for Optimizing Carbon in Canada's Managed Soils” which will be released at the upcoming Summit on Soil Health

This week we are chatting with Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of environmental not-for-profit Canopy. In addition to being a member of the UBS Global Visionaries Program, Nicole is an Ashoka Fellow, the recipient of a Canadian Environment Award Gold Medal, winner of the 2020 Climate Breakthrough Award, and a recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross of CanadaWe talk about the importance of old growth forests, the threats facing them, and an update on the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history

This week it's just Ben and Mark and we're talking about the foundations of gardening: soil. Our challenges, and our thinking on this important subject. Plus, what we're working on and the season that was.

In our final week of summer sabbatical we are revisiting another favourite from the archive, Steven and Emma Biggs. Steven is an expert in growing exotic fruits in our northern climate, as author of the Biggs-on-Figs blog where he writes about growing figs among other things, and the book – Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can't. At 14, Emma is author of her own “Kid-to-Kid” guide for gardening, Gardening with Emma. Together, Steven and Emma host their own podcast called The Food-Garden Life Show. Originally aired July 15, 2020

Doug Tallamy is a New York Times best-selling author and a professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. We really appreciate Doug's ability to take difficult subjects - such as the biodiversity crisis - and make them deeply understandable to lay-gardeners such as us.

This week we are chatting with Jennifer Reynolds, incoming Editor in Chief at Harrowsmith Magazine. Jennifer's career has spanned various marketing and communications roles across non-profit and home & garden, including Evergreen Canada and Gardening Life Magazine. She also happened to  start her career many years ago at Weall & Cullen garden centers

This week we are chatting with Steve Barnhart, incoming President of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and Senior Director at Niagara Parks

This week we are chatting with Jonathan Bruderlein of Ottawa Farm Fresh. Jonathan and this partner Jolianne are organic farmers 10 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Jonathan and Jolianne started farming in Quebec's eastern township with four draft horses before deciding to take a 3 year sabbatical to travel North America by van touring various organic farms, before re-settling in Gloucester at the east end of Ottawa to establish Ottawa Farm Fresh. Today they run an array of farm events, offer a CSA as well as operate a farm store

This week we are chatting Tony Spencer of The New Perennialist. Tony is a writer and artist, both skillsets he brings to his passion for gardening. For more than 15 years Tony has committed himself to ‘new perennialism', a school of landscape design pioneered by Dutch planting designer Piet Oudolf. From his country property in Mono, Ontario Tony experiments in these principals when he is not travelling to great gardens of the world or tending to his online community of New-Perennial fans at his award-winning website, The New Perennialist and his very active Facebook community – Dutch Dreams Make sure you check out Tony's blog at https://www.thenewperennialist.com/

This week we are chatting with life-long friend of the pod Emily Corbett of Northshore Apothecary + Goods - ethically wildcrafted natural products for the body, mind and cabin. Emily is an enthusiastic student of nature with a Masters of Environmental Studies from Queen's University in Kingston, and teacher of nature with an education degree underway and many years of outdoor education under her belt. Northshore's line of scented products are harvested and processed entirely by Emily in keeping with the sustainable ethos of wildcrafting, which Emily is here to tell us more about! You can find Northshore online at https://northshoreapothecary.ca/ or on Instagram at @northshore_apothecary

This week we are chatting with Angel Beyde of Good Fortune Farmstead. Angel and her partner Raph are experienced farmers in search of their farmstead. Their mission is is to grow abundant, delicious & nutrient-dense food to feed and beautiful flowers to delight! Good Fortune farming practices will regenerate the soil (increasing its long-term fertility), protect our precious water and increase the land's drought-resilience. Their goal is also to strengthen local food sovereignty in the face of climate change, a global pandemic and racial injustice — issues which are known to be deeply interrelated. The business plan includes offering subsidized farm educational opportunities to BIPOC youth and adults Learn more about Good Fortune at Good Fortune Farmstead

This week we are chatting with Nancy Rowland, CEO of the Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington, Ontario. Nancy is a career professional in managing public attractions and has entered the role with a mandate to move forward with implementation of its 25-year Master Plan. The plan aims to position RBG as Canada's leading environmental centre with world-class gardens, natural areas, programs, services and facilities that powerfully influence positive change in the way people interact with the planet

On this weeks podcast Ben and Mark get practical. No guests – just advice to get your garden going this spring, along with a bit of reminiscing and story telling. Don't miss it!

Backyard Urban Farm Company. "BUFCO", is a full-service design-build-maintain – and consult company for all things backyard, organic veggie started by former film producers and life partners Arlene Hazzan-Green and Marc Green of Toronto.

Continuing with our theme of urban agriculture, Durham College is home to a unique field-to-fork program which runs in tandem with their school of hospitality where Ryan Cullen serves at their Field Supervisor. Ryan is both a graduate of Durham College's horticulture program, and a successful urban/intensive farmer himself.

This week we are talking to Gary Wozniak of Recovery Park in Detroit, Michigan. Is a serial-entrepreneur, urban farmer, and Founder of Recovery Park. RecoveryPark was formed in 2010 to spearhead community redevelopment based on urban farming, food production and job creation for hard to place workers, specifically those recovering from addiction and re-entering from the prison system.

Turns out gardeners aren't by default "techies". Who knew?!? We're back at it with our first episode of 2021 - and we're fresh as ever! Among the things we're talking about is Mark's new garden from scratch, Ben's plans for Mark's garden now that he and his wife Sam are moving into Mom and Dad's as well as things to look forward to in 2021 - such as, Communities in Bloom's 2021 HOPE IS GROWING campaign https://www.communitiesinbloom.ca/  

. Sarah is a sing-songwriter and environmental activist from her homestead outside of Kingston, Ontario. Sarah's most recent album, Are You Gone was released in February and has been promoted alongside her activism in a series of online events You can find Sarah on Instagram at @yoharmer or at https://sarahharmer.com/

This week on Green File we are inviting back Jody Allair of Birds Canada. Jody is an enthusiastic expert birder and promoter of Bird Canada's Project Feederwatch, among other citizen science initiatives. Jody talks to us about the explosion in popularity for birding and ways to enjoy the past time as the weather turns cold. Find Jody @jodyallair on Twitter, and learn more about project feederwatch at www.birdscanada.org And a couple other resources from the show: www.ebird.ca Merlin Bird ID: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

As CEO of Forests Ontario, Rob is involved with all the day to day programming of the not-for-profit organization focused on tree planting, forest stewardship, forest education and awareness. Born from a 2014 merger between Trees Ontario and the Ontario Forestry Association, Forests Ontario has successfully planted more than 34 million trees. Forests Ontario is the leading charity for the delivery of high-quality, large scale tree planting programs across Canada. We talk to Rob about the importance of trees, the challenges of mass planting, and the state of our forests.

This week we are talking to Lorraine Johnson. Lorraine Johnson is the author of numerous books on native plant gardening, urban agriculture, and environmental issues, such as 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens; The New Ontario Naturalized Garden; Tending the Earth: A Gardener's Manifesto; City Farmer; and Green Future, among other titles. Her book A Flower Patch for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee, co-authored with Dr. Sheila Colla, was published in June 2020 by Friends of the Earth Canada. A former President of the North American Native Plant Society, Board member of LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests), current Steering Committee member of Project Swallowtail, and a long-time advocate for community gardens and the legalization of backyard hens, Lorraine's recent work focuses on biodiversity and habitat gardening in the context of climate change, and on land stewardship as relationship-building in the context of reconciliation.

This week we are talking to Niki Jabbour. Niki is the award-winning author of three books - The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener (2012 American Horticultural Society Book Award), Groundbreaking Food Gardens, and Niki Jabbour's Veggie Garden Remix (Winner of the 2019 American Horticultural Society Book Award, Winner of the Gold Award from GardenComm, and short-listed for a 2019 Taste Canada Award). She also writes for magazines like Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Birds & Blooms. Niki is an in-demand speaker, offering seminars and keynotes at events, shows, societies, and greenhouses across North America such as the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, The Dow Gardens, The Philadelphia Flower Show, The Boston Flower Show, and Canada Blooms. For the past 12 years Niki has hosted and executive produced her popular radio show, The Weekend Gardener which airs on News 95.7 FM in Halifax as well as online. For her broadcasting work, Niki won the 2015 Gold Award from GardenComm as 'Best On-Air Talent'. Niki is very active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and you can find her gardening videos on YouTube. When she's not writing, speaking, or broadcasting about food gardening she's in her twenty raised bed vegetable garden in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  

It's the perfect time of year to plant a tree, which is why we had to have Jennifer Llewellyn back to talk trees with us. Jennifer Llewellyn is the Provincial Nursery and Landscape Crop Specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Jennifer joined us in August to talk about invasive pests to be aware of in your trees and shrubs, and this week she returns to talk about the right way to plant a tree. We love talking to Jennifer for her great sense of humour and deep knowledge of growing – an interview  you will enjoy!

This week we are talking to Sean James, Garden Consultant and Designer. Sean has worked in horticulture over 30 years promoting sustainability and beauty in his work, with an emphasis on biodiversity and bioretention. He is a graduate of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, a Master Gardener and was recently named one of “20 Canadians Making a Difference” in GardenMaking magazine. Day to day, Sean teaches Horticulture at Mohawk College and is principal of Sean James Consulting and Design. If you don't know him from any of these places, you might know him from Social Media - @seanjamesdesign where he is very active and passionate about the green professions  

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 103 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug's new book 'Nature's Best Hope' released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best Seller. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award. Dad and I both read Doug's most recent book, Bringing Nature Home which was transformative for the both of us as far as the way we think about plants and their interaction with wildlife.   http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/

Ideas include: - How to care for your lawn - Why you should consider replacing parts of your lawn - What opens exist for lawn replacement.

This week we are talking to Jennifer Llewellyn of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Jen is the provincial Nursery and Landscape Specialist. Jen holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Horticulture from the University of Guelph and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Jen has the privilege of working closely with the nursery, landscape and arboriculture sectors to troubleshoot issues regarding the production and maintenance of woody and herbaceous ornamental plants. She writes for several industry publications and is well known for her column, What's Bugging Your Trees? in the Ontario Arborist as well as her blog and Instagram as "ONnurserycrops". She is also co-author of “BugFinder”, the ultimate scouting app for nursery and landscape.  

Steven and Emma Biggs  are a father-daughter duo who also share a love of growing. Steven is an expert in growing exotic fruits in our northern climate, as author of the Biggs-on-Figs blog where he writes about growing figs among other things, and the book – Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can't. At 15, Emma is author of her own “Kid-to-Kid” guide for gardening, Gardening with Emma. Together, Steven and Emma host their own podcast called The Food-Garden Life Show

Darryl Cheng's background as an engineer and photographer come together to make him the most interesting houseplant expert on the internet. With a huge following on Instagram (@houseplantjournal) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwhPQkQ1FF1le0MO4UfRHg), Darryl recently wrote a book for his followers to learn how to care for plant the Houseplant Journal way. The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family (Harry N. Abrams) Join Darryl, Mark and Ben as they share tips and experiences from the world of houseplants.

Jody Allair is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. Jody has been birding and banding since his teens, when he began volunteering at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO).After university, Jody spent two years as LPBO's Landbird Program Coordinator, and a season as the Migration Program Manager at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory. From 2004-06, he worked as a Science Educator for the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and in his spare time ran birdwatching courses and field trips through Calgary's Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.Jody returned to Birds Canada in 2006 and is now the Director of Citizen Science and Community Engagement and delivers various education and outreach programs to audiences across Canada. He has banded owls on CBC's Rick Mercer Report, spoken about Canada Jays at Ideacity, is a regular contributor on the American Birding Association podcast and has written numerous articles on birds, birding and connecting with nature. You can find Jody on twitter @jodyallair Learn more about Project Feederwatch https://feederwatch.org/ More great programs at https://www.birdscanada.org/

Antonio Valente is a market gardener of flowers in Thornhill, Ontario who teaches us about growing flowers for market. You can learn more about Antonio at https://antoniovalenteflowers.com/ or find him on Instagram at @antoniovalenteflowers. Also: "What We're Working On", a regular dispatch from the gardens of Mark and Ben

Father-son Mark and Ben Cullen discuss what's in store for Green File and introduce their first regular feature: "What We're Working On", a report from the gardens of Mark and Ben. www.markcullen.com www.cullensfoods.com